The invention relates to a method for controlling the driving of a big rig comprising a tractor unit and one or more trailers coupled to the tractor unit. The invention likewise relates to a touchscreen device and to a drive control system for a big rig.
A variety of methods exist to assist a driver with maneuvering a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle, having no trailer. Some methods broaden the field of vision of the driver by way of park distance control systems, cameras or the like. In other methods, individual driving tasks are taken over from the driver during maneuvering, in particular when parking the vehicle in parking spaces. If the driver and the vehicle also share the longitudinal and transverse guidance of the vehicle in a parking steering system, the entire task of driving is taken over from the driver during autonomous parking. The driver is then only responsible for activating and deactivating the parking process.
Methods are also known already for assisting the driver with the maneuvering of a big rig comprising a tractor unit and a trailer.
DE 10 2005 045 196 A1 relates to a device for assisting the driver of a tractor unit during back-up maneuvers of a big rig composed of a tractor unit and a trailer coupled to the tractor unit. The device comprises the following components: a camera, which can be mounted in the rear area of the trailer and by way of which an image of a surroundings area of the trailer located in the reverse driving direction can be captured; a steering angle sensor, by way of which a wheel steering angle of steerable wheels of the tractor unit can be detected; and/or an articulation angle sensor, by way of which an articulation angle between the longitudinal axes of the traders and of the vehicle can be detected; and a simulation computer, in which a trajectory of at least one reference point of the trailer can be calculated from the wheel steering angle and/or the articulation angle; and a display device, by way of which the camera image can be represented; wherein the trajectory of the reference point of the trailer calculated by way of the simulation computer can be superimposed on the camera image.
In GB 2 398 048 A the surroundings of a big rig are detected by way of a camera which indicates to the driver, on a touchscreen device, what kind of steering is required to reach a selected target position.
Moreover, DE 103 22 828 A1 relates to a control system for a big rig comprising a tractor unit and a trailer, wherein the tractor unit is equipped with an electronically actuatable drive train.
Known methods for assisting the driver in the maneuvering of a big rig generally focus only on one of the two challenges that exist when backing up a trailer, these being either the limited view or the complex transverse dynamics. In addition, the majority of existing methods have the drawback that the trailer must be equipped with an additional sensor system (such as cameras or the like), which results in increased manufacturing costs.